Heritage Resources Management and the Wildland Fire Suppression Undertaking

Heritage Resources Program: Overview

• Purpose– Assist FS program areas

maintaining ongoing compliance w/ heritage laws and policies while planning and implementing projects.

• Project Examples– Timber sales/veg. mgmt.– Wilderness maintenance projects– Prescribed fire– Wildland fire suppression

• Who does the work?– Archaeologists

• Historic• Pre-Contact• Industrial

– Historians– Historic Preservationists– Architectural Historians/Historic

Architects

Mandating Preservation and Stewardship: Heritage Resources Law and Policy

• Federal Law– Archaeological

Resources Protection Act (ARPA)

– Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)

– National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)

• Agency Policy– FSM 2360– Forest Plans

Archaeological Resource Protection Act (Public Law 96-95)

• Enacted in 1979.• Forbids removal of archaeological

resources from federal or tribal lands w/ out permit.

• Forbids the sale, purchase, exchange or transport of archaeological materials removed in violation of ARPA.

• Archaeological Site = 100 yrs or more in age.

• This is a criminal law with substantial fines and jail sentences meted out upon conviction.

• Confiscation of all personal property used in violation.

• Many successful prosecutions since enactment.

Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (Public Law 101-601)

• Enacted in 1990.• The bulk of the law mandates the

repatriation of culturally identifiable human remains, burial goods and “items of cultural patrimony” to appropriate First Nations groups.

• “Inadvertent Discovery”– What to do?

• Stop all activity in the area.• Protect the site.• Notify coroner of local

jurisdiction and law enforcement.

• Notify heritage staff.• What to do issues are addressed in

a Plan of Action (POA) developed by each agency.

National Historic Preservation Act(Public Law 89-665)

• Enacted in 1966.• Sets up the historic

preservation system for the US.– Provides oversight agency

• Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

• State Historic Preservation Officers/Tribal Historic Preservation Officers

– Established the National Register of Historic Places

– Section 106• Mandates federal agencies to

review the effects their projects may have on heritage resources and mitigate those effects in consultation w/ the ACHP/SHPO

– Section 110• Federal agencies are

responsible for their own heritage concerns.

• Agency heritage resource programs

Heritage Resource Site Types

• Building/Compound• Structure• Archaeological Site

– Three elements• Artifacts• Ecofacts• Features• Ruins

– Historic– Precontact

• Grave/Cemetery• Monument• Rock Art• Traditional Cultural Property

Fire Effects

• Fire– Direct

• Burn/incineration– Buildings/Structures– Ruins– Artifacts

• Soil/sediment distrurbance– Indirect

• Erosion• Visual exposure of sites make it

easy for pot hunters to find them.

• Suppression Activities– Line Construction

• Hand line• Dozer line

– Safety zone construction– Spike camp activities– Retardant/water drops– High pressure hose– Remote helipad construction

Protection Measures

• Exclusionary Tactics– Line construction– Foaming– Sprinkler systems– Covering w/ fire retardant

material– Brushing, cutting…

• Non-exclusionary Tactics– Prescribed fire– Fuel reduction– Removal of artifacts

Protection Measures

Resource Advisor Support to Heritage Resources

• Advocate for heritage support to fire if there is none.

• Inadvertent discoveries w/ out heritage staff member around?

– Archaeological site/Historic site• GPS: get a UTM of the estimated

mid-point of the site...• Take a picture • Protect the site

– Burial• Run away and forget you ever

seen it…• Kidding…• Protect the site, keep location

confidential• Get a hold of law enforcement

and local coroner…• Notify on-Forest Heritage staff

ASAP..• Encourage/advocate for the use of MIST

tactics… Heritage loves them too.• Remember, according to provisions in

ARPA and the NHPA site information is confidential…